The present invention relates in general to teaching devices, and more particularly, to devices which are applicable to paired associate learning situations.
In teaching reading, selection of stimuli and the presentation thereof to the student are very important factors. Furthermore, the stimuli should be presented in a fashion conducive to being remembered by the student, so that the learning aspects thereof can be fully utilized. Thus, to be fully effective, a device used to teach reading should have appropriate stimuli which are presented in a fashion conducive to capturing and holding the attention of a student as well as conducive to being remembered by such student.
Such requirements are especially important if the student is a young child, as is often the case in teaching a reading skill. Heretofore, devices used to each reading to youngsters have failed to completely fulfill one or more of the above-stated requirements. Thus, for example, some devices involve games which merely require a player to match stimuli rather than to combine stimuli, and thus such devices fail to teach actual letter and letter group combinations. Other devices involve games wherein only single letters are used, and thus these other devices fail to provide the appropriate stimuli. Still other devices, either because of the complexity thereof or because of the selection of components, fail to capture and hold the attention of a young learner, and thus are not completely effective.
The inventor is aware of the memory game disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,347,549 issued to P. S. Jackson on Oct. 17, 1967. The game disclosed by Jackson uses a rotatable disc for varying the symbols displayed through the multiplicity of openings. That is, the base, the playing surface and the stimulus surface are permanently fastened to each other, thus severely limiting the number and type of stimulus arrangements available for play. This in turn necessarily limits the functions of the game. Only 18 different stimulus arrangements are possible with the rotating disc--only 12 if one ignores the relative position of the sides of the game board.
While the game disclosed in the Jackson patent does require observation and memory skills, the game is not at all suitable for use as a device for teaching in a paired associates concept. For example, in learning reading, a student must be taught to respond to many different stimuli, rather than merely make a same-different judgment. In learning reading, a student must be taught to blend stimuli, rather than merely match same (vis-a-vis different) stimuli. The Jackson device requires a response only in a same-different context, and thus is not at all suitable for teaching reading skills, or other similar skills.